Give the Gift of SER Membership! 

Give a green gift to the environmental advocates in your life this holiday season.  Student member Matthew Dunkle writes, "Being involved in the Society for Ecological Restoration has opened me up to a world of opportunities to network with other brilliant thinkers in my field and has given me a strong sense of purpose and direction for my developing career."

If you purchase a full, professional or organizational membership, you receive an additional full membership for free!

Click here to download and mail in your gift form or call us at (202) 299-9518 to purchase your gift today. You can customize a special note to accompany your gift and a welcome packet featuring their exclusive member benefits will be mailed to your gift recipient.  Happy Holidays!

SER in the News

The Society for Ecological Restoration in Washington D.C. is seeking an Executive Director  SER is currently seeking to fill the Executive Director position at our Washington D.C. office. This position is open until filled. Please click on the link above for a detailed job description. Interested applicants should send their resume and cover letter with salary requirements to Mary Travaglini at Mary@ser.org.

Want to sponsor RESTORE? SER launched its Electronic Publications Sponsorship Program for RESTORE and SERnews on November 1, 2011. Be sure to take advantage of our 2-month introductory period!

SER applauds the efforts of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force this past year. The efforts to obtain public and stakeholder engagement including public meetings and listening sessions throughout the Gulf region were especially outstanding.

At the recent CBD scientific meeting in Montreal, the SER delegation co-hosted a side event with the CBD to highlight why investing in our ecological infrastructure makes economic sense.

Get Involved

Listing of 2012 Conferences and Meetings now available on the Global Restoration Network (GRN)

Kings Park is seeking qualified candidates for their Restoration Ecology Soil Scientist and Seed Enablement Technologist positions. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

Restore American's Estuaries (RAE) is calling for dedicated sessions, presentations and posters to be submitted by February 1, 2012. 

10th Annual Mangrove Forest Ecology, Management and Restoration Course 

March 1-2, 2012, Hollywood, Florida, USA. 

The 8th Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration - Europe (SER) will be held in Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, ČeskéBudějovice, Czech Republic from 9th - 14th September, 2012.

SER Members receive 25% off Island Press purchases. Contact Caroline Bronaugh at caroline@ser.org for details!

People in the News

Nominations now open for 2012 Thiess International Riverprize

The International RiverFoundation, based in Brisbane, Australia hasnow opened up applications for the 2012 Riverprize. Riverprize gives recognition, reward and support to those who have developed and implemented outstanding, visionary and sustainable programs in river management around the world. The 2012 Riverprize will be awarded at the 15th International River symposium, to be held on October 8-11 in Melbourne, Australia.

Funded to the tune of $434 million by the National Science Foundation, NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) will be a continental-scale network of 62 data-collection sites that, once up and running for some time, should help scientists understand how ecosystems respond to change. Construction of some of the new sites will begin early in 2012. David Schimel, the chief science officer and principal investigator of NEON will head up the project. 

New Books & Articles

New Mexico: Guidelines and Protocols for Monitoring Riparian Forest Restoration Projects  The New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute recently published Guidelines and Protocols for Monitoring Riparian Forest Restoration Projects.  The guidelines outline the measurements of core ecological indicators in riparian ecosystems.

Ecosystem Services, associated with the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP), is an international, interdisciplinary journal that deals with the science, policy and practice of Ecosystem Services in the following disciplines: ecology and economics, institutions, planning and decision making, economic sectors such as agriculture, forestry and outdoor recreation, and all types of ecosystems.

In the light of the increasing population pressure, it is of major importance not only to conserve, but also to restore forest ecosystems. Ecological restoration has recently started to adopt insights from the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) perspective. Central is the focus on restoring the relation between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Restoring Natural Capital (RNC) 

The Markets Can Protect Nature if we find the Right Sustainable Practices  Ecosystems markets could be a chance for our much-derided banks to redeem themselves and be a force for good, says Ian Cheshire, chief executive of Kingfisher. Rather than pay for its tunneling waste to be buried in big holes in the ground, Crossrail reached an agreement for it to be sent to coastal sites in Essex to improve flood defenses.

Entergy Charitable Foundation Issues $1.25 Million in Grants  More than 65 nonprofit groups have been selected to receive $1.25 million in grants from the Entergy Charitable Foundation. Among the Entergy shareholder-funded grants are a $100,000 grant to Barataria Terrebonne Estuary Foundation to stem coastal land loss by restoring small isolated bay islands and the natural resources and wildlife that rely on them.

China Uses Eco-Compensation to Combat Water Shortages  As China expands economically; one of the largest resource constraints is clean drinking water, a problem being addressed in part by "eco-compensation."  Now the central government is developing a nation Eco-Compensation ordinance.  A new paper out today details recommendations on what this new ordinance should look like. Instead of strict frameworks, the authors think that the ordinance should focus on outcomes, such as protection, restoration and improvement of key ecological service flows and environmental resources. 

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

California: TEK and Modern Forestry come to together in Plumas National Forest     

Members and employees of the Greenville Indian Rancheria, including honored elders in the larger Mountain Maidu community, have been working to combine traditional ecological knowledge with modern forestry and firefighting practices in conjunction with the Forest Service. They are dispatched to wildland fire incidents and work on habitat enhancement projects, including hazardous fuel reduction, prescription burns and other activities.

Agro-Ecology

Radio tagging weevils could help save bananas    

 Spying on insects could help farmers around the world improve their fight against the devastating weevil pest, in banana, potatoes and soybeans, according to scientists. In a new study, banana weevil pests were tagged with radio frequency identification (RFID) which uses radio waves to transfer data from the tag to a computer and allows tracking of the insects' movements.

UN overhaul required to govern planet's life support system  Reducing the risk of potential global environmental disaster requires a "constitutional moment" comparable in scale and importance to the reform of international governance that followed World War II, say experts preparing the largest scientific conference leading up to next June's Rio+20 Earth Summit.

Cuba will be attending the next round of climate change negotiations after a year that has seen a growing consensus in the developing South to put pressure on rich nations to take on firmer commitments within an international governance regime for climate stability. Measures such as a ban on building within 10 km of the coastline; compulsory protection and restoration of mangroves and coral reefs - natural barriers of great importance for dealing with sea level rises - and constant monitoring of crop irrigation water use, are already being implemented.

Forest Restoration

UNEP, Kenya in Sh270m Mau rehabilitation plan  The government in partnership with the European Union and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Tuesday launched a new three year intervention plan to rehabilitate Northern Mau forest. The project is expected to provide multiple benefits for Kenya and the region ranging from restoration of vital water catchments, establishment of payments for environmental services to improving the livelihoods of local communities and monitoring carbon storage in the Mau Forest.

There needs to be a greater focus on woodland management rather than just paying attention to the number of trees being planted, a report has concluded. Responding to the report's findings, Woodland Trust policy director Hilary Allison said: "We agree that to help wildlife, we must protect and restore the woods we have."

China: Forest Restoration and Livelihood Improvement: IUCN Side Event at APFW  IUCN and the International Model Forest Network (IMFN) presented the 'Forest Restoration and Livelihood Improvement' session at the Asia Pacific Forestry Week on November 11th, 2011. IUCN is addressing these challenges through forest landscape restoration, community development, and water conservation measures.

Wetland Restoration

Missouri: Restoration of wetlands offsets St. Louis County road work

St. Louis County has been quietly restoring about 550 acres of wetlands on the west side of Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park. The project - formally known as the "Page-Olive Connector Compensatory Wetland Mitigation" - replaces land lost to the construction of the Page-Olive Connector, which runs south from River Valley Drive through Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, and the Page Avenue Extension, which runs through the park across the Missouri River to St. Charles County.

River & Watershed Restoration

Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Launches New Website

The website (www.mississippiriverdelta.org) focuses on restoring one of America's greatest natural resources, the Mississippi River Delta. The site houses scientific information, public policy analysis, cultural and historical summaries, and Delta Dispatches, a news blog about restoration efforts in the delta.

Oysters were once so rich in the Halifax River along the Volusia County coast that local restaurants and seafood markets enjoyed a plentiful harvest for decades. During the past 20 years, much of that bounty died away from the ravages of boat wakes and pollution, leaving only some oysters clinging to sea walls and persisting in muck. Done correctly, the shoreline restoration in the city of Port Orange also would make that area on the Halifax better able to withstand erosion and the impact of wave energy.

The Waikato River is a complex web of lakes, tributaries, streams and wetlands - and the job of cleaning it up is equally complex. But as this country's longest river winds its way for more than 400km through farmland, towns, into hydro lakes, over dams and through the middle of a major city on its journey to the ocean, that water quality is as variable as the landscape. Cleaning it up is now a priority at local and national government level, with responsibility for that embedded in the Waikato River Authority, a statutory body with the aim of restoring and protecting the health and well-being of the river for future generations.

Today, Australia's Murray Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) released its long-awaited draft plan to restore the health of the river while also preserving the vast farm economy that depends upon it.  Spanning 14% of Australia's territory, the Murray-Darling basin yields 39% of the country's agricultural output. This draft plan is the next step in one of the boldest efforts at water reform taking place in the world today.

Grassland Restoration

Video: Bison on Konza Prairie Fuel Experiments to Restore Prairie Ecosystem  The presence of bison at Konza Prairie Biological Station serves an important purpose by furthering the efforts of numerous experiments being conducted on-site.The main objective in several of the Konza experiments is to learn about the tallgrass prairie ecosystem by using the grazing patterns of bison. The role of the bison, Briggs said, is similar to the various burning treatments conducted annually at Konza.

Coastal & Marine Restoration 

Australia plans huge marine reserve in Coral Sea

The Australian government says it plans to establish the world's largest marine reserve in the Coral Sea. Environment Minister Tony Burke said the protected zone would cover an area more than one-and-a-half times the size of France. New fishing limits would be imposed and and exploration for oil and gas banned. The proposal is subject to a 90-day consultation, but Mr Burke said the Coral Sea's biodiversity was at the heart of the plan.

Terrebonne Parish will once again gather residents' Christmas trees for use in coastal-erosion projects two years after Louisiana pulled the plug on its statewide program. The purpose is to use biodegradable Christmas trees to help slow wave action in areas suffering from erosion and attempt to create new land, said Nick Matherne, coastal-restoration director with Terrebonne Parish Government.

On Monday at Laem Chabang's Mangrove Forest Conservation Center, the MD of Siam Industrial Compressors Ltd., Takechi Yamamoto opened his company's SCI Mangrove Forest Restoration project. This re-planting of mangrove trees and clean-up of the coastline is being done for a greener world, and to honor His Majesty, the King.  Management and employees, plus local folks from the community, came to plant more trees in the mangroves along the bayshore, as the mangrove forest is the key to maintaining a healthy ecosystem in coastal regions.

Wildlife Restoration

Asia: Fresh Efforts to Conserve Bukhara Deer and Other Endangered Species  Almost half a century ago, the Bukhara deer - a species endemic to Central Asia - disappeared from the forests along the Syrdarya river in Kazakhstan due to unsustainable agricultural practices, logging and shrub felling on river banks, overgrazing by livestock, and uncontrolled hunting. Since 2002, when a Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Restoration of the Bukhara Deer was concluded, the overall population of the deer in Central Asia quadrupled from 350 to 1,620.

Extractive Industries

AUDIO-Ohio: Repairing the Land- Monday Creek Restoration

The Virginia Battleground - Environmental Concerns vs. Corporate Interests 

Invasive Species

Louisiana: This is a Rodeo with a Different Twist

There's a new rodeo coming to town, but there will be no bucking bulls or even fish weigh-ins. The first Sassafras Louisiana Nutria Rodeo is scheduled for Saturday Dec 3 at the Oak Ridge Community Park in Golden Meadow. The event is a creative way to control invasive species such as nutria, a large semi-aquatic fur-covered rodent. From 1998 until 2011, more than 200,000 acres of coastal marshes have been damaged as a result of the rodent's voracious appetite for marsh plants. The rodeo will also feature various contests, educational opportunities, raffles, Cajun food, fun and music for all.

Urban Restoration

Chicago Celebrates Graduates Trained in Ecological Restoration

Today, the City of Chicago celebrated the accomplishments of its Greencorps Chicago-Calumet program participants during a graduation ceremony at the Chicago Center for Green Technology (CCGT).  The job-training program assists individuals with barriers to employment by giving them classroom and on-the-job experience in ecological restoration including removing invasive species, prescribed burns, tree care and environmental health and safety.  Trainees are also supported with social services and job readiness skills that help them to secure full-time employment.   

Recreation & Tourism

Kenya: Pilot beach management program to boost tourism

The Kenya Wildlife Service has started a six month pilot Beach Management Programme in the Mombasa's Marine National Park and Reserve in a bid to boost tourism in the coastal region.Toward this end KWS will implement programme that will include beach patrols, daily beach clean-up, life guard duties and restoring degraded beach areas.

Funding Opportunities

North Carolina: Land restoration applications now being accepted - Closes December 5, 2011

Applications are being accepted by the Greene County Farm Service Agency for assistance in land restoration through the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and will end Dec. 5, according to Doug Manning, county executive director of the county Farm Service Agency (FSA).

The national Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) Five Star Restoration Program provides modest financial assistance to support community-based wetland, riparian, and coastal habitat restoration projects that build diverse partnerships and foster local natural resource stewardship through education, outreach, and training activities.

Matching funds are required, and grants will be awarded for new initiatives, one-time special projects, or continuing funding for outstanding, existing programs that address one or more of the following purposes including protect, restore, and enhance the ecosystem integrity and ecological connectivity of the community of aquatic life in the Lake Champlain ecosystem and its tributaries.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is accepting project proposals to protect, restore and enhance Great Lakes fish and wildlife habitat under the Great Lakes Fish and Wildlife Restoration Act (Act).The Service requests interested entities to submit restoration, research and regional project proposals for the restoration of Great Lakes fish and wildlife resources. The purpose of the Act is to provide assistance to states, tribes, and other interested entities to encourage cooperative conservation, restoration and management of the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.

The USDA Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) is the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades. A task force of 11 federal agencies developed an action plan to implement the initiative. This action plan covers fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Funded topics include: cleaning up toxics and areas of concern; combating invasive; promoting watershed protection; wetland & habitat restoration; tracking progress and working with strategic partners. The next submission dates for funding recipients are from January 1-15, 2012.

The Bureau of Reclamation is seeking proposals from states, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to partner with Reclamation on projects that increase water conservation or result in other improvements that address water supply sustainability in the West.

Australia: New South Wales (NWS) Environmental Trust Grants-Closes Jan 31, 2012

USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) provides payments to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land in order to carry out emergency measures to restore land damaged by a natural disaster.

Through the Small Grants Program, Earth Island Institute has been able to support locally based restoration efforts to do just that. Small grassroots efforts to restore the coastal habitats of Southern California, which have been depleted by an astounding 98%, have been slowly working to bring our wetlands back from the brink of extinction. By supporting and empowering the new restoration leaders, we ensure our collective success in restoring some of the earth's most fragile ecosystems.

Grant funding applications are accepted on a year-round basis. The WCB meets four times each year, normally in February, May, August, and November to consider approval of funding for projects.

The Tamarisk Coalition has developed a list of available Grant Opportunities to address tamarisk issues and riparian restoration. This list was revised as part of the Colorado River Basin Tamarisk and Russian Olive Assessment.